The Density of Ash Ketchum
by AdamCV02
Summary: Serena will finally have to confront her feelings for Ash head on, and determine whether he could ever feel the same way about her. SerenaxAsh, maybe a little ShaunaxClemont later on. [Rated M for Maximum Creativity...but rest assured...there will be lots of Fluff]
1. The Night in the Tent

_Authors Notes_

 _ **Narrator Is in Bold**_

 _Warning: Spoilers for anyone not caught up with subbed episodes._

* * *

 **We find our heroes walking towards Snowbelle City, in search of Ash's eighth and final gym badge.**

* * *

Serena was walking behind the group, she watched as Bonnie played with Squishy and Dedenne, and Ash and Clemont talked about his next gym battle. Serena however, was immersed in her own thoughts. She replayed her last performance in her head, and then Aria's performance that followed. She was sad that she had lossed, but she was more affected by how she believed she had disappointed the people that had put their faith in her to win. Her mom, Shauna, Nini and even Miette had all placed their hopes on her.

Thinking about Miette changed Serena's focus for the moment, especially when she looked up and placed her gaze on the dark-haired boy walking in front of her. Miette was always teasing Serena about her feelings for Ash, or rather his complete lack of awareness of them and his obliviousness to any advances made towards him. Miette had admitted she had her own towards Ash as well, and Serena could hardly blame her, even if it did incite a good amount of jealousy whenever she watched Miette wink or smile in Ash's direction.

"Serena?" Bonnie was poking her in the arm, the group had stopped walking.

"Oh, hey" The performer was caught off guard, she had been lost in her thoughts.

"Is there a place to stay nearby?" Bonnie asked

Serena pulled out her pink Navigator, and looked for a place to stay. "Nothing close" she shook her head.

"Looks like were camping out tonight!" Ash shot his arms up into the air, and let out a relaxing sigh.

"Chaa" Pikachu mimicked his trainer, and let out a yawn.

"I'll make dinner" Clemont announced, while setting up his tent. "Bonnie, can you set up the table?"

"Mhmm" She nodded. "Let's go Squishy, Dedenne, time to eat!"

"Ill make the fire" Ash annouced.

Serena watched as everyone tended to their chores, and decided to set up her tent in the meantime and change into her pajamas. Once she had finished, she set up Ash's tent for him.

"Thanks Serena, that's awesome!" He thanked her, while taking food out of the pot Clemont had prepared.

"Pi!" Pikachu nodded in approval.

"N-No problem" Her face turned a bit red, she hadn't exactly minded doing it.

As the group was sitting eating dinner, Serena began to think about what she wanted to do, now that she was done with performing for a while. She was more than happy to keep traveling with Ash and the others, but she felt she was lacking a goal at the moment. Her train of thought was cut off however, when suddenly a wild Talonflame swept down from the sky and sunk its claws into her tent.

"Ahh!" Serena couldn't help but scream, while grasping the hair in her head.

"Greninja! I choose You!" Ash's Pokeball flew right over her head, and Greninja came flying out.

"Use Water Shuriken!" The water-type obliged, and scared off the wild bird, but nor before it could completely destroy Serena's tent.

"Sorry Serena" Ash was looking down at the ground, as if it had somehow been his fault.

"No, no its okay" The performer tried to reassure Ash, and Greninja who was looking pretty upset as well.

"Wait, but where's Serena gonna sleep tonight?" Bonnie asked the pertinent question, that hadn't yet crossed anyone's mind.

"Uhh..." Clemont looked up, and scratched the back of his head. "I guess Ash and I can share his tent, and Bonnie and Serena can sleep in mine."

"Okay" Ash nodded in approval.

'It was at this moment that Serena could have sworn she saw a sort scheming glint in Bonnie's eye.

"But wait!" the little blonde started to protest, while pulling on Clemont's arm "Big Brother, I can't sleep in the tent without you!"

"Now, Bonnie..." Clemont began his response, but was cut off by Ash.

"That's okay Bonnie, Serena can have my Tent" The black-haired trainer began pulling his sleeping bag out of his tent. "I can sleep outside"

"No, no that's not necessary" Serena finally found herself protesting this arrangement. "If anything I should be sleeping outside."

"Its okay, I'm used to sleeping outside" Ash assured her, while laying out his bag on the ground.

"Or... you could just share it" Bonnie suggested, drawing a blush to both Serena and Clemont's faces.

"B-Bonnie!" Clemont gasped exasperatedly.

"...uh..." Serena's face had turned bright red, at the thought of being alone with Ash, all night.

"If Serena's okay with it... It is a bit small in there though" Ash noted, while looking at the performer for a response.

Bonnie for her part, was elbowing Serena in the arm. "uh...yea, that's okay" Serena managed to say, while barely being able to breathe. Once she had caught her breath, she looked over to the short blonde standing next to her. Bonnie looked up at her and winked, before retiring to her tent.

After Clemont and Bonnie had gone to bed, Ash pulled his sleeping bag back into the tent, and invited Serena to do the same. Luckily, she hadn't unrolled her sleeping bag before the wild Talonflame made off with her tent. The performer, pulled her sleeping bag into the tent, and set it on the side opposite to Ash's.

"It'll be like a sleepover!" Ash proclaimed excitedly, while stripping down to his tanktop and underwear. Serena began to feel warmer, as if the temperature in the tent had just risen significantly, and she wasn't sure if it was because of Ash's upbeat mood or his new attire.

"Pi-ka!" The yellow Pokemon was running around the tent, but stopped and held his arms up in approval.

Serena climbed into her own sleeping bag, and watched as Ash did the same. Once he was in, she watched as Pikachu climbed onto his trainers chest and nuzzled his head under his chin. The performer felt a slight twinge of jealousy as she watched, but mostly she couldn't help but smile. Ash closed his eyes, and seemed to be asleep within minutes. This left Serena alone, in the tent, to her thoughts. She took a deep breath, the entire test smelled like Ash and it only made her feelings more intense. She looked over at the sleeping boy, smiled and closed her eyes. Her dreams were a haze, that mostly involved her and Ash holding hands and dancing, the dance she never got to have at the performers dance party that she had so desperately wanted.

* * *

At some point throughout the night, Ash must have moved in his sleep, because Serena woke up with his face just inches from her own and Pikachu squished in between them. Half of her wanted to embarrassingly push Ash away as quickly as possible, and the other wanted to pretend like she was still asleep and make this last as long as possible. However, before Serena could side with either half, Pikachu woke up.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked, while looking up at both Serena and Ash and considering his current position. The Pokemon paused for a moment, and then jumped out from between the two trainers and started jumping on top of Ash.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu continued jumping until Ash had woken up.

"Pikachu, what's going on" Ash sat up, and began rubbing his face. He turned over to look at Serena.

"Uh.." Serena was staring at the space in-between them.

"Oh! Ash jumped up" He immediately began apologizing "Sorry, I must've moved in my sleep"

"No, no no..It's okay" Serena climbed out of her sleeping bag as well. She sat on top of it, as she watched Ash get ready. He threw on his jacket, and pants, slipped on his shoes and was out the door. Serena used the empty tent to get ready, and exited once she had finished changing.

"Breakfast is ready!" Clemont announced while setting plates for the last two of the group to awaken.

"Yay!" Ash began eating without a second thought.

"Sleep well last night?" Bonnie asked, while she sat down next to Serena.

"Uh...yea" The performer's face was turning red again. "So uh, can we head towards the closet town, I need to get a new tent"

"I think there's one a couple of miles ahead" Clemont noted, while pointing the the left.

"Ya, I saw it on my Navigator last night" She pulled out her Navigator, and brought up the town.

"Oh look!" Bonnie pointed at the screen "There's a fashion show here today! Can we go! Please!"

"Yeah, Let's!" Serena immediately agreed, she was looking for a distraction from her thoughts and this was perfect.

The girl's enthusiasm drew less than similar reactions from either of the guys, who were showing a more compliant than excited mood.

* * *

 **And so, our Hero's made their way into town to get Serena a new tent, and to see what the fashion show had in store.**

* * *

 _Well, that's my first venture into a Ash x Serena story. Please forgive my Sub-par writing ability._

 _Please Review!_


	2. The Fashion Show

_The frequency of my grammatical errors is directly proportional to the time I post a chapter._

 _Also, thank you for all the reviews :)_

* * *

 **We find our heroes at the Local Pokemon Center, having stopped on their way into town.**

* * *

Serena was sitting on a couch, looking for a nearby store so she could replace her tent while the others had their Pokemon tended to by Nurse Joy.

"Look who it is!" Serena heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance, she looked up and saw Shauna walking towards her.

"Oh, hey!" Serena stood up, walked towards Shauna and hugged her.

"Hi Shauna" Clemont was walking towards them, with Ash and Bonnie close behind.

"How have you been?" Ash asked.

"Good, so what are you all up to?" The trainer asked, while focusing on Serena.

"We're going to the fashion show!" Bonnie announced "and also, we have to find Serena a new tent" she said added, the tone in her voice changed from excitement to boredom and possibly slight annoyance very quickly.

"What happened to your old one?" Shauna asked, rather perplexed.

"A wild Talonflame swooped down and tried to take it!" Ash explained while waving his hands in the air. "I tried to stop it... but the tent ended up getting destroyed" The black-haired trainer let out a nervous laugh while smiling.

"Chu" Pikachu shook his head, while holding his hand to his face.

Shauna thought about this for a moment and then asked Serena "So... where did you sleep last night?"

"Uh...well...uh, you see" Serena's face had turned bright red, and she was pushing her index fingers together nervously.

"We had a sleep over in my tent" Ash explained, rather happily.

"Pika!" Pikachu added, while sitting on Ash's shoulder.

"Well that's good, at least you didn't have to sleep outside" Shauna stated, while grinning.

"We should start heading towards the show, we don't want to be late" Bonnie was grabbing Clemont's arm and pulling him towards the door.

"Bonnie! I can walk on my own!" The gym-leader protested as his sister dragged him out the door.

"Mind if I tag along?" Shauna asked

"The more the merrier!" Bonnie giggled.

The group began heading towards the fashion show, and Serena again found herself immersed in her own thoughts. Lately, everytime Ash talked to her or when he was even mentioned, she became nervous and unable to speak. She didn't want to be this way, but it was hard to figure out how not to be. Serena had to admit, she was jealous of Miette, who was able to be more open about her feelings and desires. She craved that sort of confidence, and not just so that she could handle herself around Ash better, but so that she could perform better as well.

"So, anything interesting happen last night?" Shauna was whispering into Serena's ear, while holding her hand next to her mouth to cover the sound.

"In-Interesting, what do you mean?" The performer replied, rather shocked at her friend's question.

"Ya know, a boy and a girl...alone" Shauna looked up at Serena, and winked. "Did Ash say anything interesting at all?"

"No!" Serena exclaimed, a bit too loudly and caught the attention of the whole group.

Ash turned around quickly and stared Serena in the eyes "What's wrong? You okay?" He asked, with a sense of urgency in his voice. Shauna was beside the performer, trying not to laugh.

"I'm okay, we're just talking" Serena explained quickly

"What about?" Ash questioned, and Serena noticed Bonnie smiling.

"Wanna know?" Shauna asked him, and Serena covered the girl's mouth as quickly as possible.

"Ya...What is it?" Ash looked confused, as towards why his friends were suddenly acting so weird.

"Oh you know, just performing stuff" Serena laughed nervously, hoping everyone would buy her obvious lie.

"Okay" Ash turned back around and started talking to Clemont about the gym-leader's latest invention, as they continued walking.

Serena removed her hand from her friends mouth, and the girl returned to whispering in her ear. "He's cute" She paused "A bit dense, but I can see why you like him"

"Uh...ya" Serena accepted that Shauna knew about her feelings, and decided not to fight it anymore. Besides, having another girl to confide in might make dealing with them a lot easier. Serena had to admit, not only had she never felt this way before, she also was clueless when it came to whether a guy's compliments were friendly or something more.

They continued to walk in silence, until they reached the entrance to the Exhibition Center, where the Fashion Show was to be held. As they approached, a woman came out and looked around, clearly in distress.

"What's wrong? Can we help?" Clemont asked, while the group approached the frantic woman.

"It's just that, some of my models quit on me last minute!" The woman seemed on the verge of tears, and then as if she had just formed a brilliant idea, she began to look over the group. "Do you think you could all model my designs for me?" She asked.

"Well uh..." Serena was a bit embarrassed by the woman's proposition.

"Sure!" Shauna replied.

"Can I, Can I?" Bonnie was asking Clemont in a begging tone.

"If they have something for you" Clemont responded.

"Oh! I have the cutest little dress for you" The woman assured Bonnie., before turning her attention to Ash and Clemont. "Could you two be their escorts down the runway?"

"Escorts?" Ash replied.

"Well, it is a fashion show for wedding dresses after all!" The woman exclaimed while pinching Ash's cheek. "and you will look exceptionally cute in a tuxedo"

"He so will" Shauna whispered into Serena's ear, while smirking.

"We...Wedding dresses?" Serena stammered, while imagining herself in a dress, and Ash in a matching tux.

"Wait! What's Bonnie going to be wearing?" Clemont asked.

"I have the cutest flower girl dress! It will be perfect!" The woman held her hands to her face, trying to contain her excitement. "Okay! all of you follow me!"

Serena struggled to walk forwards, her mind was a complete haze as her imagination ran wild and her brain tried to figured out exactly how she had ended up in this situation. Nevertheless, she found her way to the dressing room, with Shauna and Bonnie, while Ash and Clemont went off to get fitted for tuxedos.

"Oh, this dress is so pretty!" Bonnie exclaimed while holding up the flower girl dress she had been given.

"It'll look absolutely adorable on you" Serena assured her, while trying to calm her own nerves. She was looking at the dress she had been given to wear, it was simple yet stunning. It was completely white, except for a bow wrapped around the waistline which seemed to be modeled after a Slyveon's bow, with the ties holding it to the waistline modeled after Slyveon's ribbons.

"Oh my Serena, your dress is perfect!" Shauna remarked while holding up her own. It was another simple white dress, except it had a black trim around the edges and a simple black bow on the waistline, affixed to one side.

"Your's is too! Your going to look great in it!" The performer remarked, still looking over her own dress.

"I'm going to go put mine on!" Bonnie announced, before ducking into a changing room.

Shauna turned to Serena, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Ash will love it" she teased.

"Uhh..." Serena tried desperately to quell her embarrassment "You think?"

"Of course" Shauna smiled.

"How do I look?" Bonnie asked, while walking out of the changing room.

"One sec" Serena walked over to the accessories bin and grabbed a flower tiara that matched Bonnie's dress. She carefully placed it on Bonnie's head. "There, you look perfect" the performer smiled at the younger girl.

"You might steal the show Bonnie!" Shauna announced, while making her way to the changing room "guess I should get ready as well"

"Thank you!" Bonnie replied. "I'm, going to go find Clemont now!" she said as she ran out of the room.

This left Serena alone, holding the dress she was about to put on. The performer felt a mix of pure excitement and crushing nervousness. Was she really about to walk on a stage in a wedding dress, arm in arm with Ash?

"Well?" Shauna walked out of the changing room, and struck a pose to show off her dress. Serena was a bit awestruck, the girl looked stunning.

"You look amazing!" Serena paused "I'm actually a bit jealous" she laughed nervously.

"Go put your's on!" Shauna was pushing Serena into the changing room.

"Okay, okay" Serena moved into the changing room, and began to put on her dress. It fit perfectly, and she had to admit it felt good to wear. She checked herself in the mirror, before walking back into the dressing room.

"Oh..." Shauna smirked "Ash is gonna love it" she teased while grabbing Serena by the arm and dragging her out of the dressing room and into the hallway.

Suddenly, Serena found her self in the hallway, staring directly at Ash and Clemont. Bonnie was standing in between them, and was now holding a basket filled with pink flower petals. Clemont was wearing a tuxedo with a grey vest, and his hair had been combed so he no longer had strands sticking up in the back. Then, Serena turned her attention to Ash, who was wearing a tux that perfectly matched her dress. He was wearing a black jacket, and a light pink vest that perfectly fit with the ribbon on her waistline. Both of the boy's ties were untied however.

"Clemont come here" Shauna waved him over and proceeded to tie his bow-tie for him, while elbowing Serena in the side, hinting at her to do the same for Ash.

"A-Ash, I'll do yours" Ash walked over to Serena, and she carefully tied his tie. He was really close to her now, and it was making the performer nervous. Once she had finished, she patted Ash lightly on the chest with both hands to make sure the bow-tie was sitting flat and straight.

"Thank you" Ash and Clemont said in unison.

Shauna turned and whispered into Serena's ear "He's cleans up well... almost takes your breath away doesn't it"

Serena just smiled, and whispered back into Shauna's ear "Clemont doesn't look so bad either"

"Uh...you think?" the other performer responded nervously, her face was turning red as well and Serena made sure to make note of it.

Serena was about to respond when she heard a gasping noise from behind her. "You all look perfect" the woman from before announced, while running towards them. "Okay, you and you hold hands" she directed while pointing at Ash and Serena. "Then uh, you and you walk arm in arm" she said, while pointing at Clemont and Shauna. Then, the woman turned her attention to Bonnie. "You, walk in front of them, and sprinkle the flowers onto the runway"

Serena stood there, with Ash's hand in her own. It was warm, and firm and felt rather large. She looked over at him, and noticed he was staring straight forward at the curtain they were about to walk through. This was exactly Ash's personality, he was always looking forward at what could come next, and he always seemed prepared for whatever could happen next. Serena adjusted her gaze forward, looking straight up, and followed Bonnie though the curtain and onto the runway.

* * *

 _More fluffy stuff to come...I promise :)_

 _I'm debating a bit of a side pairing, just so I can give Serena a way to get back at Shauna_

 _Anyways, thanks for reading! Please Review_


	3. The Sleepless Night

Serena found herself walking down a runway, her fingers interlaced with Ash's. She watched as Bonnie happily skipped and threw flower petals around the stage. The performer looked over at Shauna and Clemont, who actually looked pretty cute together, except for the fact that Clemont looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. She then turned her attention to the audience and cameras that were filming them. The exhibition hall was packed, and there were flashes everywhere from photographers.

The woman from earlier was standing at the bottom of the stage, queuing them to take a bow. Serena moved her arm in front, and bowed, and Ash followed suit. Shauna and Clemont did similarly, and Bonnie curtsied. They all turned, and headed back through the curtain.

Once they had returned backstage, the group was greeted by a photographer.

"Hey yo!" The man was waving them over to a backdrop he had set up. "Can I take your picture for our catalog?" he asked.

"Sure!" Shauna agreed, while dragging Clemont over to the backdrop.

"Yay!" Bonnie followed them excitedly.

"We should join them" Ash looked over to Serena, and she nodded in agreement.

"Okay, say cheese!" The photographer instructed, while holding up his camera.

"Cheese!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Oh! You all look lovely!" The woman was approaching them. "Thank you so much! You saved my show!"

"It was really nothing" Clemont tried to assure the woman.

"Our pleasure really, these dresses were so much fun to wear" Shauna said, while posing in her dress.

"This dress is so pretty" Serena added. "Who made it?"

"I did" The woman explained. "I'm a professional wedding planner and designer" she continued. "Also, sometimes I'm a bit of a matchmaker" she smiled.

"That's amazing!" Bonnie shouted while running up to her "Do you think you could find a match for my brother?" she said as she pointed at Clemont.

"B-Bonnie" Clemont yelled, unfortunately he currently didn't have is Aipom arm on his back to drag her away.

"He seems to be doing fine on his own" The woman remarked, causing both Clemont and Shauna's faces to turn a bright shade of red.

Sensing the awkwardness now filling the room, Serena decided to change the topic "I guess we should go get changed"

"You can keep the dresses, and tuxedos" The woman explained. "Consider it my thanks for saving me today"

"Really?" Shauna and Bonnie asked in unison.

"Of course" The woman smiled, and waved as she turned and walked away.

"Thank you!" The group said in unison.

* * *

Once they all had finished changing, they met up outside the exhibition hall. Serena was standing next to Shauna as Bonnie, Ash and Clemont walked out. It was around 4 PM and the audience was staring to exit the venue as well.

"That was so much fun!" Bonnie proclaimed, while holding Dedenne above her head.

"That tuxedo was really uncomfortable though" Ash lamented.

"It was, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it now" Clemont agreed.

Serena felt someone walk up from behind her, and place a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Miette had stuck her head between her and Shauna's. The blue-haired girl whispered into both of their ears.

"Shame... they looked so cute in them" She paused, as if to enjoy the embarrassment she had just caused. "Don't ya think?"

"Miette!" Serena screamed, while stepping forward and away from the girl.

The blue-haired girl giggled, before turning her attention to Ash. "Hi Ash" she greeted him, while smiling.

"Hey Miette" Ash greeted her and waved.

"What are you doing here" Serena asked, with her annoyance and embarrassment flooding into her voice.

"Oh, just came to see the fashion show" She paused "I didn't expect Ash to be your groom however"

Serena had no response, but there was literal steam flowing from her ears as her face turned an all new shade of red. Did Miette really have to say that so loudly?

"It was fun though; I didn't expect there to be so many people" Ash commented.

"Ya, It was pretty cool being up on that stage" Clemont added.

Serena felt like her head was about to short-circuit, the addition of Miette and Ash not actually minding what had just occurred was a bit to much for her to process all at once. Shauna, having sensed this, changed the topic of conversation.

"We should go find a store before they all close" she said, while tugging on Serena's shoulder.

"What are you shopping for?" Miette asked, and Serena felt an all new sense of panic and embarrassment.

"Serena needs a new tent" Ash explained. "A wild Talonflame kind of destroyed hers last night."

"That's interesting" Miette seemed to ponder for a moment. "Where did you sleep last night?" The blue-haired girl turned to Serena.

"Uh..." The performer stammered.

"Ash and Serena had a sleepover in his tent" Bonnie explained, rather happily.

Miette smiled, and then whispered into Serena's ear. "Seems like you've made some progress"

* * *

The group began looking for a store that sold tents, but kept coming up short everywhere they looked. By the time they found a store that carried them, they were closed for the day. For some reason, Miette had decided to accompany them.

"That's alright, we can stay at the Pokemon Center tonight and come back tomorrow" Clemont proposed.

"We should head there now" Ash was pointing in the Center's general direction.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Shame" Miette whispered into Serena's ear. "I was thinking about asking Ash if he wanted to have a sleepover tonight" the blue-haired performer smirked.

"Miette!" Serena yelled.

Everyone turned to look at Serena, and Miette giggled.

* * *

Once they had arrived at the Pokemon Center, Serena checked out a room.

"We need a room for six tonight" She explained to Nurse Joy.

"No problem, just sign in here"

Once the check-in had been completed, Serena returned to the group with a room key.

"We're all in the same room?" Ash asked.

"Three bunk-beds" Serena explained.

"I call top-bunk!" Bonnie announced.

"Denne!" Dedenne concurred.

Everyone made their way upstairs, and started to get ready for bed. Bonnie took a top bunk, on the bed at the left end of the room, and Clemont took the bottom. Shauna and Miette took the top and bottom bunks of the middle bed, leaving Ash and Serena to share the last bunk-bed.

"Do you want top or bottom?" Ash asked.

"You can pick" Serena answered, and Pikachu made the choice for Ash immediately.

"Pikapi!" the yellow Pokemon yelled while climbing to the top bunk.

Once everyone had settled into bed, Serena turned off the lights and tucked herself in. Within minutes she could hear Ash and Pikachu sleeping, and one by one watched everyone else start to fall asleep. She couldn't sleep, she was wrapped up in her thoughts and they were causing her to toss and turn. Everything that had happened over the course of the day replayed in her head, as she tried to decipher its meaning. Mostly this came down to her analyzing what Ash may have meant by things he said, or gestures he made. Serena knew she had feelings for him, and she knew she wanted to be something more than just friends. Holding his hand alone had made that perfectly clear, the entire time their fingers were interlaced she had felt safer, more secure and more confident. It was as if they had been connected, and when he stopped holding his hand, the connection broke. Serena desperately wanted to get that connection back.

However, Serena lacked the confidence to tell Ash how she felt, out of fear of rejection and fear of losing him as a friend altogether. She wasn't even sure he would understand what she felt, and that could be even more devastating. As these thoughts continued to race through her head, Serena decided to give up on sleep and headed downstairs to the waiting room.

The more her mind raced, the more helpless she felt. Eventually, as if sensing their trainers distress, Panchem, Slyveon and Braixen popped out of their PokeBalls.

"Slyveon!" the pink-Pokemon wrapped its feelers around Serena's arm and nestled its head on her lap.

"Pan-chem" the panda-Pokemon followed suit and rested his head on the other side.

"Brai" Braixen at down next to Serena and nestled its head into her shoulder.

"Thank you" Serena started to cry, the emotions she had been suppressing for most of the day rushed out.

* * *

 _Things start to get a bit more serious! Will Serena confess her feelings to Ash... will he accept, or even know what they mean?  
_ _Stay Tuned to find out!_

 _Thank you for reading, and Please Review! :)_


	4. The Tournament

Serena had been sitting in the waiting room for about an hour, and had managed to stop herself from crying. Her Pokemon were all asleep, but having them there was still comforting. The performer heard footsteps coming towards her, and saw Shauna walking up to her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, while bending over and looking into Serena's eyes.

"Oh..it's nothing really" Serena tried to assure Shauna, and maybe herself a bit, while unconsciously trying to wipe the dried tears from her eyes.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Shauna asked bluntly, while petting Slyveon on the head while she slept.

"What happens if he says no?" Serena paused while trying to stop herself from crying again. "What if he dosen't want me around anymore?"

"Ash?" the other performer asked, before continuing. "He's way too nice, plus I think he likes you"

"How can you know?" Serena was looking down at Sylveon and Panchem as they slept.

"I don't" the brown-haired girl confessed. "But he certainly seems to like having you around" she noted.

"Ya" the performer agreed, while petting Panchem on the head.

"Why not try asking him on a date?" Shauna asked

"You think he would even understand what I was asking?" Serena had turned to look at Shauna now.

"Well, you could start by getting him alone" the other performer suggested.

"I don't know" Serena was looking down at the floor again.

"Want me to talk to him first?" Shauna asked.

"What are you going to say?"

"I'll just ask him questions about you, gauge his thoughts" Shauna explained.

"Okay" Serena agreed, and then she decided to tease Shauna a bit. "Want me to have a chat with Clemont for you?"

"That's not necessary!" Shauna practically squealed.

"Okay" Serena smiled, and both girls laughed off their embarrassment.

* * *

Once morning had arrived, everyone gathered in the waiting room where Serena and Shauna had spent most of the night.

"What are we going to do today?" Bonnie asked excitedly, while she squished Squishy.

"Well, I still need to get a new tent" Serena noted.

"I'd like to stop by the electronics store in town" Clemont explained, while holding up an over-sized map.

"There's a really nice boutique I'm heading to if anyone wants to join" Miette explained, while winking at Ash. Watching this set off a wave a jealously through Serena.

"No thanks" Ash replied, with sheer boredom in his voice.

"Pika" Pikachu shook was shaking his head, concurring with his trainer.

"There's a battle tournament in town if anyone is interested" Nurse Joy announced, while holding up a flyer.

"Battle Tournament!?" Ash's mood picked up immediately. "Where?"

Nurse Joy handed him the flyer, and Shauna walked over and looked at it with him.

Clemont began to filter out everybody's plan for the day. "So, Bonnie and I will head to the Electronics store, Serena will go find a new tent, Miette's heading to a Boutique, and Ash will go compete in a tournament." The gym-leader paused and then added. "And, once were all done we can head to the tournament to cheer for Ash."

"I don't wanna go to some boring Electronics store" Bonnie complained.

"Now Bonnie, it wont take that long" Clemont protested.

"Bonnie, you can come with me if you want" Serena decided to play big-sister, mostly to keep her mind off Ash.

"Yay!" Bonnie ditched her brother and ran to Serena's side. "Shauna, are you coming too?" the little blonde asked.

"Actually, I think I'll compete in the tournament too" the brown-haired girl replied, while glancing at Serena.

"Awesome!" Ash yelled. "It'll be so much more fun having someone else to root for!"

"Pi-Ka!" the yellow Pokemon proclaimed, while sitting on his trainer's head.

* * *

 **And so, our heroes headed their separate ways for the day.**

* * *

Serena and Bonnie were heading off to find a new tent. Bonnie had decided to hold her adopted big-sister's hand while she skipped happily at her side.

"What kind of tent are you going to get?" Bonnie asked, while looking up at Serena.

"Something like the one I had before..." She paused. "Or maybe they'll have a Talonflame proof one" she joked.

"Maybe they'll have some really cute ones!" the little blonde suggested,.

Serena laughed at her enthusiasm. "Maybe"

* * *

Shauna and Ash were walking towards the Battle Tournament, and Shauna decided to slowly put her plan into action.

"So Ash, what Pokemon are you planning to use for the tournament?" she asked, trying to start a conversation with the thing Ash would be most eager to talk about.

"Depends on what Pokemon my opponent chooses" Ash explained.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu was riding on Ash's shoulder, and was hitting Ash on the head with his tail.

"I think Pikachu wants to battle today" Ash commented, while laughing.

"Pi-Ka!" the yellow Pokemon nodded.

Shauna laughed, while she watched the conversation between Ash and Pikachu. "You two really understand each other don't you?"

"Pikachu and I have been together for a long time" Ash was talking while moving his hands. "We're pretty good at communicating with each other" he smiled.

The performer was impressed by how upbeat and positive Ash was, it was no wonder Pokemon were so drawn to him. She could also understand how Serena had fallen for him, the boy had certain glow that just made her feel safer and more confident.

"So Ash, what do you think about Serena?" Shauna prompted the question, and then held her breath.

"What do I think?" Ash repeated the question, completely confused by it's meaning.

"Pika! Pi?" The yellow Pokemon seemed both dismayed by his trainer, and confused.

"Ya know, generally?" Shauna explained, waving her hands around for emphasis.

"Serena's awesome!" Ash proclaimed. "She's great at preforming, and she takes really good care of her Pokemon, and she makes great PokePuffs!"

Pikachu was shaking his head while face-palming, as if he had realized what Ash was missing.

"Do you think-" Shauna was cut off before she could finish her sentence, she finished it in her head "...she's pretty?"

"Whoa!" Ash remarked, while looking out at the battlefield they had just arrived at. Two trainers were in the midst of a battle, a Delphox was facing off against a Graveler.

"Oh, sorry" Ash turned back to Shauna. "What were you about to ask?"

"It's nothing, let's go sign up" She pointed at the admissions booth and Ash immediately ran to it.

* * *

"This tent is perfect!" Bonnie was pointing at a bright pink tent, with white trimming.

"It's so cute!" Serena agreed.

"Can I help you ladies?" the shopkeeper approached them.

"Could I get this tent please?" Serena asked, while pointing to the mini-display model.

"Unfortunately it's out of stock, the only tent I currently have in stock is this one." the shopkeeper walked them over to a brown tent that was as ugly as it was expensive.

Serena became visibly upset. "Do you know when it will be back in stock?"

"In about a week or so."

"We can't stay in town for a whole week!" Serena hadn't meant to yell, but the stress was getting to her.

"If you pre-pay now, I can have it delivered to the next Pokemon Center you visit" the owner explained.

"That works" Serena paused. "Thank you" She approached the register, payed, and arranged to have the tent delivered to the Snowbelle City Pokemon Center.

"I guess you'll have to sleep in Ash's tent for a week" Bonnie tried to sound sympathetic, but she seemed to be enjoying it.

"Ya...I hope he doesn't mind" Serena was nervously pushing her index fingers together as they walked out of the store.

* * *

"The next battle will be... Ash vs Shauna!" The announcer proclaimed.

Ash turned to Shauna. "Let's do our best!" he proclaimed, while walking down to the battle field.

Both trainers took their positions at either end of the field, and the referee began announcing the rules.

"This will be a one on one battle, the last trainer with a Pokemon able to battle is the victor...begin." The referee waved a flag, to signal the start of the match.

"Ivysaur!" Shauna threw out her PokeBall.

"Let's go Pikachu!" they yellow Pokemon jumped off his trainer's shoulder and onto the battlefield.

"Ivysaur, use Solar Beam!" The seed Pokemon began charging up for a Solar Beam.

"Pikachu, use Electro-Ball!" Ash instructed.

Shauna thought to herself about how in sync Ash and Pikachu were, every more he called out was obeyed without question because his Pokemon trusted him implicitly. The Solar Beam and Electro-Ball collided in mid-air, causing a massive explosion. Ash didn't miss a beat.

"Pikachu, follow it up with Iron Tail!"

"Ivysaur, dodge and use Vine Whip" The Pokemon avoided the attack, and stretched out its' vines to hit Pikachu.

"Curl into a ball to dodge it, then use Iron Tail again!" Pikachu curled into a ball and narrowly missed Ivysaur's vines, and then planted it's Iron Tail directly on the other Pokemon's head.

Shauna watched as the Iron Tail collided, and Ivysaur took a few steps backwards.

"You okay?" She asked, and Ivysaur nodded while steadying itself. "Good, then use Energy Ball!"

"Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu complied immediately, and the Thunderbolt and Energy Ball collided.

"Now, use Quick Attack!" Ash followed up immediately, putting Shauna off guard.

"Ivysaur-" She was too slow, and Ivysaur got hit.

"Now, finish it up with Iron Tail!" Ash pointed out to the battlefield.

"Dodge It!" Ivysaur attempted to dodge, but was already too tired from the hits he had sustained.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle, the victor is Ash!" The referee announced while waving a flag.

"We did it buddy!" Ash held out his arms, and Pikachu ran into them.

"You were awesome Ash" Shauna congratulated him.

"You were too!" Ash assured her, as they moved off the battlefield.

* * *

"I'll take some of those capacitors too... and maybe a few of those resistors" Clemont was busy driving the Electronics store owner crazy. He had piled up a massive amount of parts to satisfy his constant urge to invent and build.

"That all?" The owner asked, as if pleading for the gym-leader to stop. The kid was driving him insane with his constant requests.

"Yup... unless..." Clemont paused, and the owner took to opportunity to finish the transaction.

"Where should I bill this?" the man asked.

"The Lumiose City Gym" Clemont answered, while checking over his purchases and trying to fit them in his backpack.

* * *

While the other matches were taking place, Shauna and Ash sat in the stands and watched. The performer wanted to restart their conversation from earlier, but that was going to be next to impossible with Ash enthralled with the battle in front of him. Once the current battle had finished, Shauna got her chance.

"We'll be taking a one hour lunch break!" The referee yelled into the crowd, and it immediately began to disperse.

"Wanna go get something to eat?" Shauna prompted Ash, hoping to draw his attention.

"Sure! Battling makes me really hungry!" The dark-haired bay stood up and began looking around.

"Pi-Ka!" the yellow Pokemon agreed.

"I think I saw a sandwich stand on our way here" Shauna pointed in it's direction and began walking.

Shauna couldn't figure out how to re-approach the Serena subject with Ash, she had already asked to only question should could without drawing too much suspicion. Then and idea popped into her head, and she couldn't believe what she was about to do.

"Hey, Ash... have you ever had a girlfriend?" She asked, with trying to force away the lump ion her throat.

"Huh?" This seemed take Ash completely by surprise, his face even seemed to turn a bit red.

"Pi?" Pikachu mimicked his trainer's confusion.

"It's just that..." Shauna took a deep breath. "I kind of like Clemont and I'm not sure how to talk to him, and I was kind of hoping you could help me."

"Oh, Sure!" Ash said happily. "You and Clemont would be awesome together!"

There's that upbeat personality again, she thought to herself. "We would?"

"Of course!" Ash continued. "And Bonnie likes you, and shes always asking girls to take care of Clemont right?"

"Ya..." Shauna paused, before moving on. "So... how would you want a girl to ask you?"

"Ask me what?" Ash seemed confused again.

"To be her boyfriend?" Shauna said, while holding her arms in front of her and wringing her hands nervously.

"Uhh..." the dark-haired trainer was scratching the back of his head while her thought. "Wouldn't you just like... ask?"

Pikachu was shaking his head.

Of course he would think that simply, Shauna thought to herself.

"I suppose so..." Shauna replied.

* * *

 _Pikachu seems to know more about love than Ash :) Also, most of Pikachu's dialogue is "Pikaspeak"_

 _Thank you for reading, and please review (it encourages me to write more)_


	5. The Sunset

_Thank you for all the feedback!_

* * *

"Hey!"

Shauna looked over to find Serena and Bonnie walking towards her.

"Did you win?" Bonnie asked, now running.

"Ash did" Shauna replied, while laughing off her loss.

"You guys had to face each other right at the start?" Serena questioned, with a sense of sympathy in her voice.

"It was a good battle!" Ash announced, and Shauna noticed Serena smile.

"It was! You did great Ash!" She replied.

"So, when are you gonna battle next?" Bonnie asked eagerly.

"There's a one hour lunch break" the brown-haired girl explained. "We were about to eat, wanna join?"

"Let's go!" the little blonde exclaimed.

* * *

Clemont had just finished up his shopping and was heading over to the tournament site to cheer for Ash, when he ran into Miette.

"Oh, hey Miette" he greeted her.

"Hi Clemont, are you going to the tournament now?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"Um, yea I was just about to head over" Clemont paused, before noticing that Miette had apparently decided to accompany him. "So, how did your shopping go?"

"Oh I found this adorable dress, and also these..." She contined talking while holding up various items as they walked, but Clemont had completely zoned out.

* * *

Once they had finished eating lunch, the group returned to the Battlefield and sat in the bleachers. Ash was called up for his next match almost immediately, which left Serena alone with Bonnie and Shauna.

"So..." Shauna leaned over and began whispering in Serena's ear. "I talked to Ash for you" she explained, with a widening grin on her face.

"How it go?" Serena asked, while breathing in deeply. She was completely terrified of the answer, while at the same time having no way to escape it.

"Not bad" Shauna paused. "He's never had a girlfriend before"

"Who's never had a girlfriend?" Bonnie had tuned into their conversation, and both girls found themselves scrambling to find an answer to the little blonde's question.

"Uh..um...Clemont, right?" Serena replied, while holding her breath and hoping Bonnie wouldn't see through her deceit.

"Mhmm..." Bonnie paused, now pondering why they were talking about her brother. "Why? Does Shauna like him?" she had come to a conclusion rather quickly.

"Wh-Why me?" Shauna asked defensively.

"Well it's not Serena" Bonnie explained, while holding up her index finger as if to make a point.

"How do you know that?" Serena replied, with her heart-rate beginning to climb.

"You like Ash, right?" the little blonde replied, and Serena began to realize just how obvious her feelings were to everyone but the person they were for.

"Yup!" Shauna replied, before Serena could construct a believable lie.

"Sh-Shauna!" the performer exclaimed, while covering her face with her hands in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

"So then, Shauna likes Clemont!" Bonnie concluded.

"Yup!" Serena confirmed.

"Yay!" Bonnie shot up out of her seat, and then turned to Shauna and grabbed her hand. "Please take care of my brother!"

"Y-yeah" the other performer dropped her head, and looked at her feet. Serena reached over and put her arm around her friend to comfort her.

Bonnie for her part, seemed completely enthused by the conversation. She was holding Squishy in her hands, and perhaps squishing him a little too hard in her excitement, and he let out a bit of a squeal.

"Sorry Squishy" she apologized, while petting him on the head.

"At least Bonnie's happy" Shauna whispered into Serena's ear jokingly.

* * *

 **Our heroes watched as Ash went onto face a trainer named Shaun, who matched his Glaceon up against Ash's Talonflame. Ash won a narrow victory, securing his place at tomorrow's Semi-Finals.**

* * *

"Congratulations Ash!" Serena congratulated him as he returned to the stands.

"Congrats!" Bonnie and Shauna followed suit.

"Hey guys!" Everyone turned to see Clemont and Miette walking down the stands towards them, Clemont was waving to draw attention.

"Hi Clemont" Ash responded, while waving back.

"So, when's your next battle?" the gym-leader asked.

"Tomorrow" the dark-haired trainer explained. "We got into the Semi-finals" he continued, while using his thumb to point to the Pokemon on his shoulder.

"Pi-Ka!" Pikachu cheered.

"How'd you do Shauna?" Clemont turned to the dark-haired performer, who looked rather startled by his question.

"I lost my first match to Ash" she explained, seemingly upset.

"It was a great match though, I'm sure you'll win next time" Ash tried to console her, unaware about what she was really upset about.

"Thanks, Ash" Shauna stood up, and continued. "So, what should we do with the rest of our day?" she asked.

"I'm going to train for my match tomorrow!" Ash announced.

"I'm going to get to work on my next invention!" Clemont followed.

"I'm actually heading off to Anistar City" Miette was starting her goodbye "I hope I run into you guys again soon" then, she walked towards Serena and whispered into her ear. "If you haven't made any more progress by next time, I'm definitely going to have a chat with Ash" she teased.

"I will!" Serena blurted out, and then immediately noticed everyone staring at her.

"Oh, so your not hiding it anymore?" Miette questioned, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hiding what?" Ash asked.

"Wanna know?" Bonnie replied.

"N-No!" Serena and Shauna both immediately covered the little blonde's mouth with their hands.

"Okay" she relented, her voice muffled. The two girls released her, and Bonnie simply sighed while looking at Ash and Clemont.

"Is everything okay?" Ash followed up.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" Clemont was standing in front of her now, and speaking in a dissapproving tone.

The little sister simply sighed, and replied "You wouldn't understand anyways"

"What's that suppos-" Clemont was cut off by Miette.

"I'll see you guys again soon" she said, while walking away.

"Take care Miette" Ash waved back.

"You too" the blue-haired girl turned around and winked, and Serena felt a surge of anger rush through her. Most of this anger she directed at herself, and her own lack of confidence and ability. Miette was out of sight a minute later.

"So, should we all meet up later at the Pokemon Center?" Serena asked, trying to figure out what she was going to do with what was left of her day.

"What are you gonna do Serena?" Clemont asked.

"I think I'm going to take a walk around town" She replied.

"Want me to come?" Shauna asked, and Serena shook her head. Right now, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

"Okay" the dark-haired performer turned to Clemont. "Mind if I watch you work?" she asked.

"Sure! Actually, I could use some help!" the blonde replied.

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be" the brown-haired performer replied, she didn't exactly understand how Clemont built his inventions.

"You can just sit with me and watch, it's funny when things blow up." Bonnie proposed.

"B-Bonnie, they don't always blow up!" Clemont protested.

"Mhmm" the little blonde nodded sarcastically.

* * *

 **And so; Ash went off to train for his next match, Bonnie, Clemont and Shauna headed back to the Pokemon Center so Clemont could work, and Serena went for a walk.**

* * *

Serena found herself walking down the street alone, immersed in her own thoughts. Sensing her trainer's distress, Slyveon come out of its PokeBall and wrapped its ribbons around Serena's arm.

"Hi" Serena greeted her Pokemon quietly.

"Sly-veon" the pink Pokemon was gently rubbing its head against its trainer's leg.

Serena continued walking, and thought about her feelings more. The more she contemplated them, the weirder the feeling in her stomach became, granted it became this way a lot when Ash was around... but thinking about him brought it on too. Ash was everything Serena wanted to be, and she partially wondered if her feelings for him came from her own insecurities and inabilities. Whenever she felt like something was impossible, Ash's endless optimism was there to show her it wasn't. Serena knew she wouldn't be on this journey in the first place if it wasn't for him, but she also knew she would have never made it this far without him.

Would he even understand what she felt, or reciprocate her feelings? She asked herself these questions, and many more like it. Serena had never had to confront something like this before, and now she felt like it was tearing her up inside. She didn't want to hide it anymore, and she didn't think she could. It was obvious to so many people, and Ash would find out eventually.

She found a small pond, and decided to sit by the shore while she thought. Slyveon sat on her lap, looking out at the pond. Finally, after about two hours, she began to come to a decision, but decided to consult someone else first.

"Slyveon" the performer addressed her Pokemon, and it turned around her face her.

"Sly?" Slyveon was looking Serena directly in her eyes, as if it was reading her very feelings.

Serena smiled, and petted her Pokemon and its head. "Do you like Ash?" she asked, although she was almost asking herself this at the same time.

Slyveon jumped a bit in Serena's lap. "Sly-ve!" She was nodding in approval.

Serena continued petting her. "I do too" she replied, with tears forming in her eyes.

"Veon" the pink Pokemon was using its ribbons to wipe away it's trainer's tears.

"Thanks" the performer smiled a little at her Pokemon's kindness towards her.

"Should I tell him?" She asked.

Slyveon simply nodded it's head, and turned back around.

* * *

Ash had gotten back to the Pokemon Center a bit later than he had expected, but he had become so wrapped up in training he'd lost track of time. He found Bonnie, Clemont and Shauna hanging out in the waiting room.

"Serena's not back yet?" Ash asked, while looking around the room.

"Pi?" Pikachu followed.

"I'm not sure where she went" Shauna answered.

"You think she's okay?" Ash replied immediately, he felt kind of worried, Serena had seemed upset earlier.

Shauna smiled a little. "I'm sure she's okay" the brown-haired girl replied.

Ash thought about this for a minute, but was unable to quell the uneasiness he had. "I'm going to go find her!" he announced.

"A-Ash" Shauna said somewhat quietly, and the dark-haired trainer almost missed it.

"What's wrong?" he replied.

"Uh.. Nevermind"

Ash rushed out the Pokemon Center door.

* * *

Serena was still sitting by the pond, unable to convince herself to get up. She wasn't sure she was ready to see everyone again yet, she hadn't calmed herself down completely.

"There you are!" Serena heard a familiar voice shout from behind her, he seemed worried. His worry made her feel a mix of guilt and happiness. He ran over and sat down next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked, almost out of breath.

Serena laughed a bit before responding, he really had been worried about her. "I'm okay" she smiled.

"So what have you been doing?" he asked, and Serena noticed that he was looking directly at her... and nothing else. For the first time in a while, she had Ash's full attention. It was the perfect time, but she felt choked by the nervousness consuming her. Slyveon looked back at her, and Serena thought back to all of her showcase performances. She had taken risks in them, and sometimes she had failed, but none of it would have ever happened if she'd never tried.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked and then held her breath.

"Of course" Ash replied, his eyes were focused directly on her and it caused Serena to blush...especially considering what she was about to tell him.

"I like you...a lot" She stammered out, and waited for his response.

"I like you too!" Ash exclaimed, although Serena realized he hadn't understood her.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu jumped of his trainer's shoulder, and slapped him with his tail.

"Ow.. Pikachu! What was that for?" the dark-haired trainer protested.

Pikachu was shaking his head.

Serena couldn't help but laugh, Pikachu had lightened her mood a bit and taken away some of her nervousness.

"I don't mean like friends" She tried to explain. "I mean like... romantically"

There was a pause before Ash answered, and although it was only a few seconds, it felt like an eternity.

"Like how Shauna feels about Clemont?" Ash asked.

Serena felt a bit guilty, had Shauna really revealed that to Ash just to help her?

"Yeah" Serena nodded. There was another long pause, and then she asked. "Do you think you might... feel the same way about me?"

Ash had refocused and was staring at the sky, as the sun was about to go down. Finally, he turned back to Serena.

"I don't know..." he paused again. "But, I'd like to find out" he concluded.

"How?" She asked.

"Well... What do boyfriends and girlfriends usually do?" he replied, rather quickly. Shauna must have gotten to him on some level.

"Uh..." Serena hadn't expected him to jump right into it, he had seemed so uncertain. Then again, Ash usually jumped right into everything. "Hold hands and go on dates and stuff."

"Okay! Let's do that!" Ash concluded, and he seemed rather happy with himself.

Serena felt a sense of relief wash over her, he hand't rejected her, but she wasn't entirely sure he knew what he had agreed too... then again, she wasn't really certain she knew either.

"Hey! Look" He was pointing at the sky. "The sun's about to go down"

They both looked towards the sky, and Serena found herself taking perhaps her biggest leap of the night, she reached over and grabbed Ash's hand as they watched the sun set.

* * *

 _Confession Done (for better or worse I guess)...fluffy date stuff to come ;)_

 _Please review!_


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